


hold me in your arms (and let me fall)

by helsinkibaby



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 5 Times, Alternate Universe, Community: 1-million-words, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 06:00:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3436085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Diggle hugged Felicity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hold me in your arms (and let me fall)

**Author's Note:**

> February Bingo prompt: hugs

When a shaft of sunlight creeps through a crack in the blinds, landing squarely on her face, Felicity stirs, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face in the pillow, praying in her half asleep state for a few more hours of slumber. The movement, though, brings some other things to her attention - first and foremost, the feel of sheets slipping over her skin tells her that she's naked, while the warm weight of an arm across her waist lets her know she's not alone. She freezes, memories of last night coming back to her in high definition clarity and as her cheeks flush red, there's a chuckle behind her that lets her know her companion is awake too. 

"Not a morning person," Diggle guesses and she bites her lip, glancing over her shoulder at him, bracing for the inevitable awkwardness. He props himself up on one elbow to look down at her and she rolls onto her back as her eyes travel over his chest and torso, down lower before she snaps herself back to attention. The twitch of his lips speaks to his amusement and one warm hand reaches out, touches her shoulder and traces a path down her arm. 

"Not really," she admits and his chuckle, deep and low, sends goose pimples rippling along her skin. 

"I figured." He slides both arms around her waist, manoeuvres her easily so that she's pressed against him, her head against his chest, his chin against the top of her head. It doesn't feel awkward at all, lying with him like this, and when he's sure she's comfortable, one arm stays tight around her waist, the other reaches up to play with her hair. "We can stay here as long as you want," he tells her, and her eyes grow heavy under the heat of his gaze and the heat of his body. 

"Forever wouldn't be long enough." 

She doesn't mean to say it out loud, but she does. 

The rumble from his throat sounds almost like a purr and she takes that as a good thing. 

*

They steal a moment together after he's deactivated the bomb, but Felicity can still feel the weight of it around her neck, knows she's going to be living with that memory for quite some time. She's mostly stopped shaking but then Diggle walks over to her, takes her in his arms without a word. He pulls her so tightly against his body that it almost hurts to breathe, his palms flat against her back, chin on the top of her head. She loops her arms around his waist and this close she can tell that he's shaking too. 

That's what renews her shivers, the knowledge that he was as scared as she was. 

"Too close," he mutters fiercely as he kisses the top of her head. 

She smiles, moving just enough so she can lift her head, look up into his eyes. "I wasn't worried," she lies. "I knew you'd save me."

His eyes are serious; he's not ready to joke about it, not yet. "Felicity..."

He stops talking when he hears what she hears, footsteps and voices, the others returning. She knows she should leave the circle of his arms but is loath to do so - the others do know about their relationship but neither she nor Diggle are big on PDA. He shows the same reluctance to let her go and on impulse, she stands on tiptoe, brings her lips to his in a crushing kiss. 

He responds, mouth opening against hers and she hates to break the kiss but she does. "I'll thank you later," she promises and from the flare of desire in his eyes, she knows it's only those damn approaching footsteps that are stopping him from slamming her against the nearest flat surface and having her make good on her words. 

Not for the first time, she considers finding a quiet room in this place and figuring out a way to alarm the doors. 

*

"Felicity!"

She jumps when she hears Diggle calling her name, spinning around with her hand over her rapidly beating heart. The fright she got robs her of her speech - and a small voice in the back of her brain that sounds far too much like Diggle for comfort mutters that he always wondered what it would take - and that's how Diggle sees her when he enters her kitchen. 

"Are you ok?" he demands, crossing to her, holding her by the shoulders and she nods. 

"I'm fine!" She knows she sounds a little shrill; she thinks she might have earned the right. "You were asleep and it's not like you've been doing much of that lately and I was awake so I thought I'd make us breakfast and then you're shouting my name and..."

She stops talking when Diggle wraps her in a crushing hug. "You weren't there when I woke up," he mutters into her hair. That's all she has to hear to know what he'd thought. 

"John, we've talked about this..." She doesn't move her cheek from his shoulder, needs the warmth, the solidity of him to keep her voice steady. "If Slade..."

"He's not going to touch you." His voice is deep, his tone one that brooks no argument. 

"I know," she tells him, because she knows Diggle, knows he'd fight to the death for her. 

To be honest, right now that's what's scaring her most of all. 

*

Felicity's eyes are fixed on the computer screen in front of her, studying the surveillance footage she'd not so legally obtained from a source of dubious provenance. She doesn't realise how tense she is until a large pair of hands land on her shoulders, beginning to gently rub circles there. Her eyes threaten to shut and she forces them open just in case she misses anything on the screen. 

"No fair." She's trying for a strong commanding tone, is going for her best Diggle impression but it only comes as out as a breathy moan. 

"You need to come home." There might be a smile playing around his lips, it certainly sounds like it from the tone but she can't turn around. She might miss a vital clue and besides, she's not so sure she has the energy to spare. 

"John..."

There are a thousand words in that one syllable and when he sighs, his breath moving the stands of hair that have come loose from her ponytail, she knows he heard every one of them. His hands slide from her shoulders down to her hips, lingering there for only a moment before sliding around to her stomach. He gives a gentle press, a wordless suggestion, and she leans back against him, letting him support her weight as he brushes his lips over her cheek. 

"Lean on me," he murmurs and her hands close over his as she lets her eyes close, trusting him to keep watch for both of them. 

*

When Felicity hears the door close, she wipes her eyes quickly, but not quickly enough. Diggle's hand is on her shoulder in an instant, and when she looks up at him, his brow is furrowed, eyes filled with questions. Another tear slips down her cheek and she takes a shuddering breath. 

"Felicity?" he asks, one hand going to her cheek. His fingers brush the tear away and she can see the worry, the fear in his eyes, hates herself for causing it. 

"I'm pregnant, John," she whispers and she wants to keep talking, to tell him how she didn't know how this happened, that she hadn't planned this, that she's only twenty five and she's not sure she's even ready for a baby; all that and a million other thoughts that are whirling through her head. 

She wants to keep talking but for once she can't. 

For once, she is speechless and in the silence that follows her words, Diggle stares at her for what seems like a very long time. 

Then he smiles. 

Just a small one, disbelieving, almost shy. "Yeah?" His tone is quiet, his hand moving to her stomach, his touch gentle, reverential. 

Her hand closes over his and she feels a smile coming to her own lips. "Yeah," she whispers and the smile that spreads across his face is one she's going to remember for a very long time. 

Then he's holding her in his arms as he's done so many times before. This time, however, he's lifting her as well, spinning her off her feet as he laughs a laugh filled with sheer joy. She's dizzy when he puts her down, hands clenching on his biceps and worry flashes across his face like he's afraid he's hurt her. 

"You're ok?" he asks and suddenly she knows the answer. 

"Never better," she tells him but when he hugs her again, then kisses her until she's breathless, he manages to prove her wrong.


End file.
